Philippine Independence Day

 

Independence Day is an annual national holiday in the Philippines observed on June 12, commemorating the declaration of Philippine independence from Spain in 1898. For over 300 years, the Philippines was a Spanish colony, and is named after King Philip II of Spain.

In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan landed on the Philippines islands and claimed it for Spain. Magellan wanted all the local chiefs to submit to the Spanish rule but one of them named Lapu Lapu refused. An attempt was made by Magellan to crush Lapu Lapu, but he failed and was killed. When Miguel Lopez de Legazpi led an expedition in 1565, the Spaniards finally gained a foothold in the Philippines. They built the city of Intramuros in 1571, which was later renamed Manila, and became the capital of the land. Eventually, Spanish rule took over, and a feudal system was established— with large estates owned by the Spanish, and Filipinos as the workers. The Spanish years brought prosperity to the Philippines, and their rule remained uneventful. This changed when the British captured Manila in 1762. Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris signed in 1763, the city was handed back in 1764.

More than half a century ago, Filipinos commemorated the declaration of Philippine independence on July 4, which is the same day as the American Independence Day. However, it was only in 1962 that June 12 was declared as the country's day of freedom through a presidential proclamation issued by President Diosdado Macapagal. This change of date was further cemented through Republic Act No. 4166 in 1964.

Reference/s:

https://blog.helperchoice.com/philippine-national-day-2017-06-12/